Duke Basketball Recruiting: Where Things Stand With Dylan Harper
Don Bosco Prep (N.J.) combo guard Dylan Harper, a smooth lefty playmaker who ranks No. 2 overall on the 247Sports 2024 Composite, has been down to a final five in his recruitment since late January. That list includes the Duke basketball program, plus Auburn, Indiana, Kansas, and Rutgers.
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The 6-foot-5, 180-pound five-star continues to eye a decision sometime after Peach Jam in July. And he's given no reason to think that any of his finalists have fallen out of contention.
But Rivals' Rob Cassidy opined this week that two schools stand out as perceived frontrunners in the Dylan Harper race:
"Saying this is a Duke-Rutgers battle isn't exactly new news. I think Indiana and Kansas could be real players as well, but each feels a bit less likely than the Blue Devils or Scarlet Knights. There's a lot of reason for me to think Rutgers is the current (ever so slight) leader, however. I've been told by people close to the situation that the Scarlet Knights are the team to beat if all things are equal...I think Rutgers will ultimately land Dylan Harper if it can figure out how to stand toe to toe with some heavy hitters from an NIL standpoint."
At the Nike EYBL Session 3 in Texas on Friday night, Harper had nice things to say about each contender during his chat with Cassidy following his 25-point performance for the NY Rens. Judging by his comments about his Duke basketball suitors, there's no doubt Jon Scheyer and his staff remain active and hopeful.
"Things are good with Duke," Dylan Harper, the son of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper, told Cassidy. "I talk to Jon Scheyer. They all text and call to see how I am and check in on me. We talk about what I can improve after watching my games and help me out."
Although the 247Sports Crystal Ball pegs the Blue Devils as the favorite, there's only one prediction there thus far. Meanwhile, no expert has entered a Harper pick into the Rivals FutureCast, and the same goes for the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine.
Duke, which hosted Harper for an official visit in October, sits at No. 6 on the 247Sports 2024 Team Rankings with commitments from North Meck (N.C.) five-star small forward Isaiah Evans and Paul VI Catholic (Va.) four-star small forward Darren Harris.
As things stand, the addition of Harper would bump the Duke basketball class to No. 2, trailing only UNC's four-deep collection of two five-stars and two four-stars. Yet as noted above, we're probably at least two months away from knowing Harper's decision.
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Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country for more Duke basketball recruiting updates.